Tip of My Iceberg

May is the new December.

With so many graduations, end-of-the-year gatherings (if you follow a school calendar), and deadlines that are full of “musts”, my mind has of late resembled a dump truck. As does my calendar. I keep filling it with all the necessaries, with increasingly less space or time to dump it out.

Not being a detail person, there are quite a few things lost in the truck. Things I should remember that at one time were at the top of my list and have now been pushed down to the oblivion of my mind. Not intentionally.

I struggle with distinguishing the necessary from the urgent. Priorities instead of good intentions.

With every invitation we’ve received to attend graduations or participate in gatherings, I try to make it work. John, a little more realistic than me, reminds me that we have only so much time.

We’ve not yet figured out how to be in two places at once.

Life is full of possibilities–and things we all long to do. The tendency to overcommit, to want to do it all, is a natural result of valuing a busy schedule.

It’s a lack of balance.

Balance is what I long for.

It escapes me.

I’m not the best when it comes to prioritizing things. I’m very present–what’s right in front of me is what I focus on. I’m becoming more adept at keeping up my calendar on my phone–filling in all those spaces can be overwhelming.

Remembering to check that calendar is yet another responsibility.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Action expresses priorities.”

How does the way I spend my time express what I believe is important?

Jesus, in speaking to a crowd on a mountainside, shared with them what it looked like to follow Him. To grow in a relationship with God and the effects of what knowing God would look like lived out loud. He shared that what captured our hearts is what drives our desires and shapes our dreams.

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

The first thing any of us must do is identify what we value. Job? Family? Friends? Wealth? Fame?

I want to value people and relationships like Jesus did. To see and treat people as important.

I’m always amazed when I consider that Jesus was never in a hurry. You never see Him picking up His robe and running. Or being too busy to talk with people or listen to them.

He had time for everything He needed to do.

Because His heart was connected to God the Father. He came to help us reconnect with God because He Himself is God.

My actions, then, should reflect my priority of God and people. The only way I can care more for others is to allow God to show His love for me and through me. There are too many times when I react to situations instead of responding in kindness.

It may be a busy month, but I can make the time for what’s important.

What are you making time for in your life?

What do you need to dump?